Harland B. Thompson, a respected member of the UCLA community
and assistant vice chancellor of business emeritus, died of
leukemia Dec. 14, 2005, at his home. He was 80.
“Hal was steady as a rock. He was a big, tall man with a
very strong personality. I thought he would be around forever,
honestly,” said Terrance Feurborn, former director of
contracts and grant/intellectual properties at UCLA and a colleague
of Thompson.
Born in Inglewood and raised in Berkeley, Thompson graduated
from Berkeley High School and went on to work for Pan American
Airways before serving in the U.S. Maritime Service for two
years.
He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1951 with a business degree and
ROTC commission. After serving active duty with the U.S. Army
Transportation Corps, he returned to UC Berkeley as the business
officer at the naval biological laboratory.
Thompson came to UCLA in 1958 as the business officer for the
nuclear medicine and radiation biology laboratory, eventually
moving into general campus administration. He had worked at UCLA
for 34 years when he retired in 1991.
Assistant Vice Chancellor Sam Morabito started working with
Thompson at UCLA in the mid-1970s as a business manager.
“We worked together for many years. The best thing I can
say is that I always found him to be acting in the best interest of
the institution. I don’t think there’s any greater
compliment I can give him,” Morabito said.
A man tied closely to his family and his community, Thompson
undertook many roles in his church and neighborhood.
He moved to Irvine after his retirement and served a number of
terms on the Terrace Community Homeowners Board, including several
years as president.
He was active in the Irvine United Congregational Church as the
construction project manager and financial coordinator of the
building fund for the construction of the church’s new
sanctuary.
Singing was one of Thompson’s passions. He sang for his
church choir, and while studying at UC Berkeley, he was a founder
of what became the UC Men’s Octet, a group still in
existence.
After coming to UCLA, he sang with a semi-professional quartet
called the Pitch Pipers. He was also the founding president of the
Valley Master Chorale, now known as the Angeles Chorale, with which
he stayed involved for 20 years.
Thompson was a Los Angeles Angels fan, as well as an ardent
supporter of UCLA athletics. He attended many UCLA basketball
games.
“He was gold and blue through and through,” said
D.T. Evans, who worked as a special projects manager on
Thompson’s immediate support staff in the late 1980s.
Thompson also enjoyed traveling, camping and bridge, activities
that he and his wife shared.
At UCLA, Thompson was responsible for materials management,
transportation service, and contracting grant administration, among
other things. His colleagues said they appreciated the respect and
professionalism with which he handled his business while
maintaining a close-knit working environment.
“He was the best boss I’ve ever had in my
30-something year career,” said Richard Mooney, former campus
material manager. “He was a very honest guy. Never played
games. He knew what the right thing to do was and insisted that it
be done well, and he had a great sense of humor.”
His colleagues also emphasized his serious, diligent nature as a
leader.
“Hal was a tremendous person. He was a very loyal person
to his staff and the people that worked under him. He was the kind
of person that you could trust, that you respected a great deal. He
was demanding, but that all caused us to do a lot of great things
for UCLA,” Feurborn said.
“I’ll really miss him.”
Thompson is survived by his wife of 55 years, Joan, their three
children, and five grandchildren.
A memorial service is planned for Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. at the
Irvine United Congregational Church, 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine,
CA, 92604.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Irvine United Congregational
Church Music Ministry Fund at the above address.